ANDROID

MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT JAVA: ANDROID 

CELL PHONES VERSUS SMART PHONES :

In the 5 years we moved from cell phones to smart phones . Smart phones are user friendly, high at technology . Not only at software basis but huge improvements are observed at Hardware basis also . Fast processors , huge internal memory , access to external memory , touch screens , large screens , better cameras , sensors etc . make the mobile phones compete in market. 5 or more years back we mostly had mobile phoned which provided us with the facility to call and sms only . Those phones were black and white and today we have mobile phones that provide us huge set of applications , internet facilities and what not . Mobile phone have almost decreased the need for using desktops and laptops for small and daily use purposes . Laptops are these days used only for development purposes . Before moving on we will discuss current scenario of mobile phones . The software that provides platform of various applications are called operating systems . Mobiles phones in trend these days are OPERATING SYSTEM based . JAVA based mobile phones existed between black and white cell phones and smart phones. We will first take look at the top 3 in trend operating systems.

• ANDROID OPERATING SYSTEM
• IPHONES (iOS)
• WINDOWS BASED MOBILES 

If we go to market to purchase a mobile phone , we first decide the operating system we want to use and then we set our budget . According to our budget , various companies provide various versions of hand sets . This is where mobile phone market is going .

As far as Android operating system is considered , it is a open source i.e. any user using a android mobile can make a android application and upload it in play store which provide android users the set of applications available for them . Hence android is user based operating system or we can user dependent .

There are many companies in the market which provide Android as operating system in their handset. A lot many companies , providing people a vast set of choices according to their budget and need .

However if we consider iOS or Windows based mobiles , these are not open sources . Apple is the providers of iOS software and is available in only iPHONES . Similarly Microsoft is the launcher of Windows phones and we can access windows operating system by having a NOKIA handset .

These are not open sources as they set limitations to users .

Hence the Operating System used at maximum level is Android Operting system.

For a developer to develop application for these operating systems following environments are used    :

•  For Android  ECLIPSE is used .
• For iPHONE
• For windows mobile development VISUAL STUDIO is used.

Also for development , developers should have adequate knowledge of following programming languages .

• For Android JAVA is the base language
• iPhone applications are developed with OBJECTIVE C.
• For windows based mobile application development .net (C#) is used .

We will here discuss all about Android Operating Systems.

HISTORY OF ANDROID :

In year 2003 , a company named Android Inc. started their work on Android operating systems , This company was not a very big company but with few workers who were working on this concept . This company was located in United States (US) . They worked in this company for two years and in year 2005 , GOOGLE hired  these workers which were working on the concept of android .. In other words in 2005 GOOGLE took control over this company . Google worked with these workers on the same concept for two years . For these two years i.e 2005 -2007 , market was not informed about what is going on in Google .Market had no idea that a search engine google is working on a big project of mobile operating system.

Then in year 2007 , particularly 5 November 2007 , Google officially launched its first Android base handset.

Handset company HTC supported this first Android System .Network support to this G1 Handset of HTC was provided by a company named T-MOBILE .

Also note that , this first hand set was not launched under the name of Google but was launched in market by  OHA- OPEN  HAND ALLIANCE .

OHA is  a group of 84+ companies. It consists of hardware, software and telecommunication companies. OHA is managed by Google Corporation. Android was the first project of OHA which is Open source and complete operating System for mobile devices.

All the three companies, hardware provider HTC, operating system provider Google and network Provider T-MOBILE worked together under this OHA company.

 Now the Question arises what was the need of such of an organisation?

For the related and joined work of the three companies google thought of setting up such an organization . Here all the three companies could tell about how their company can work and what medications are need by the other company. Companies can put  forward their point of views , discuss and could work hand-in-hand . .

This is how first handset based on Android technology was launched in market on November 5,2007.

DEFINITION OF ANDROID:

DICTIONARY meaning of Android is a robot having Human Appearance.

Android is a software stack for mobile devices that consists of Operating System, middle applications and key applications.